Message from Danishkadah on 3rd December 2010

Greeting from Danishkadah!

On the International day of persons with disability, we wish good luck to all of our peers individual and organizations, who are working for "inclusive, barrier-free, and right based society for all", may this year bring lot of success for all of us and we move a step forward to our goal of "inclusive society / society for all". 

For us 3rd December is start of new year, "new disability year" start on 3rd December!  It is the day to celebrate the success that we gained during the last year, and It is the day to review the progress toward the goal, and to plan for next year. So what is your resolution for next year? action plans, advocacy, awareness raising, we hope that all of you are planing your activity calendar. 

We at Danishk believe that the goal of inclusive society cannot be achieve just by assuring the accessibility, we also need to work on the "mind-set" of the society and PWDs as well. Although "charity to rights" is good move but still many of us focusing on charity and want things "FREE" many of us still feel low when compare with non-PWDs. On other hand, people from mainstream society, no matter what they say or pose one stage, take the disability as a negative thing. Even the parents still try to hide the disability of their children because they feel shame. This is the real challenged for us. We not only have to make the society accessible but also have to change this mind-set that take the disability as a negative thing, instead as a difference.

If a person cannot swim like a fish, if a person cannot fly like a bird this is not disability, but if a person cannot walk like majority do, if a person cannot communicate like the majority do. it is a disability!!! Why? Don't you think if majority would have 6 fingers it would be norm and those who have 5 finger might be "disabled"? Truly it is matter of majority and minority not the ability or disability. In birds' eyes human might be "disabled" as we cannot fly, but in reality we can fly and much faster than the birds, but DIFFERENTLY. 

so friends this is difference not disability and we have to tell this to everybody and prove that difference isn't the hindrance in achieving anything. And it is nothing to feel shame or pity on this difference. In this aspect we think "Story based Knowledge Management (SbKM)" can be a tool to bring a positive change in the mind-set of the people. 

Under SbKM project Danishkadah in collaboration with APCD developed a story, many of you may already have read that, now on the  3rd December we are launching the same at our website ( http://www.danishkadah.org.pk/sbkm_story/ ) too, in English, Indonesian, Sindhi, and Urdu, more translation will be coming soon. We also have "comments form" there so after reading feel free to give your comments. Even if you have read the story before, it would be great if you record your comments on our web, comments can be given in all 4 languages above. 

Lets multiple our efforts in 2011, and try to move 2 steps forward instead one, one for the improvement in accessibility and one for the positive change in mind-set.

Cheer !

DANISHKADAH
3rd December 2011